More than 12,000 July flights delayed or canceled as a result of American Airlines crew scheduling error.
A glitch in American Airlines scheduling program allowed pilots to drop flight assignments for thousands of trips in July, the Allied Pilots Association said Saturday.
More than 12,000 flights were affected by the scheduling glitch, which left hundreds of flights without a pilot, first officer or both, after pilots dropped their pre-assigned flights.
The airline spoke to press in response to the ordeal and they say minimizing flight disruptions during the highest traveling season is something they aim to avoid.
“As a result of this technical glitch, certain trip trading transactions were able to be processed when it shouldn’t have been permitted,” the airline said in a statement. “We already have restored the vast majority of the affected trips and do not anticipate any operational impact because of this issue.”
Per Pilots scheduling program, they can routinely drop or pick up trips throughout the week, but time off in the summer or holidays is more difficult to do for airline employees due to the higher travel demand from travelers.
According to NBC News who referred to American Airlines internal tally, On Saturday alone, American Airlines had more than 3,000 mainline flights scheduled and they were 93% full.
American Airlines has temporarily suspended the scheduling program while the issue is investigated and is expected to work out the issues as quickly as possible.
“We understand these are important tools for our pilots and are working as quickly as possible. We will provide updates throughout the day as we learn more,” American told pilots in an email Saturday.
American’s pilots have recently went on strike against grueling schedules, something they want to be addressed in a new contract. Pilots at Delta and Southwest have picketed in recent weeks for similar reasons.
Unfortunately, many flights remain unstaffed and for others, expect delays.
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